Bush Slumps to a New Low -- It's All About Iraq

May 16, 2006

Page 2 of 2

Majorities overall disapprove of Bush's work on seven out of nine specific issues tested in this poll, soaring to a high of 76 percent disapproval for his handling of gasoline prices. His only positive ratings are for handling the United States' response to terrorism (53 percent, long the almost single-note source of his support) and protecting privacy rights in terrorism investigations (52 percent).

Bush's Handling of the Issues

Approve

Disapprove

Terrorism

53%

43%

Privacy Rights

52

45

Taxes

42

54

Ethics

39

54

Economy

38

60

Immigration

34

56

Overall job

33

65

Iraq

32

66

Deficit

27

67

Gas Prices

20

76

Other presidents have fared worse than Bush's current ratings: Harry Truman saw 22 percent in 1952, Richard Nixon 23 percent in 1974 and Jimmy Carter 28 percent in 1979 in Gallup polls. But historically, as first noted last fall, Bush's approval rating across his career most closely resembles Lyndon B. Johnson's as the country became enmeshed in Vietnam. Johnson's approval rating in Gallup polls fell from 75 percent on average in 1964 to 43 percent in 1967 and 1968. Bush, for his part, has gone from an average of 73 percent approval in 2001 and 2002 to an average 40 percent so far this year. The trend lines are strikingly similar.

Bush vs. LBJ Average Approval

LBJ -- 1964

75%

LBJ -- 1965

66%

LBJ -- 1966

51%

LBJ -- 1967-68

43%

Bush -- 2001-2

73%

Bush -- 2003

62%

Bush -- 2004

50%

Bush -- 2005

46%

Bush -- 2006 to date

40%

METHODOLOGY -- This ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted by telephone May 11-15, 2006, among a random national sample of 1,103 adults. The results have a three-point error margin. (The results on immigration were fielded May 12-14 among 508 adults; the error margin for that sample is 4.5 points.) Sampling, data collection and tabulation by TNS of Horsham, Pa.